1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bubble toys, and in particular, to apparatus and methods for delivering bubble solution to a dipping container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bubble producing toys are very popular among children who enjoy producing bubbles of different shapes and sizes. Many bubble producing toys have previously been provided. Perhaps the simplest example has a stick with a circular opening or ring at one end, resembling a wand. A film is produced when the ring is dipped into a dish that holds bubble solution or bubble producing fluid (such as soap) and then removed therefrom. Bubbles are then formed by blowing carefully against the film. Such a toy requires dipping every time a bubble is to created, and the bubble solution must accompany the wand from one location to another.
Recently, the market has provided a number of different bubble generating assemblies that are capable of producing a plurality of bubbles. Examples of such assemblies are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,149,486 (Thai), 6,331,130 (Thai) and 6,200,184 (Rich et al.). The bubble rings in the bubble generating assemblies in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,149,486 (Thai), 6,331,130 (Thai) and 6,200,184 (Rich et al.) need to be dipped into a dish that holds bubble solution to produce films of bubble solution across the rings. The motors in these assemblies are then actuated to generate air against the films to produce bubbles.
All of these aforementioned bubble generating assemblies require that one or more bubble rings be dipped into a dish of bubble solution. In particular, the child must initially pour bubble solution into the dish, then replenish the solution in the dish as the solution is being used up. After play has been completed, the child must then pour the remaining solution from the dish back into the original bubble solution container. Unfortunately, this continuous pouring and re-pouring of bubble solution from the bottle to the dish, and from the dish back to the bottle, often results in unintended spillage, which can be messy, dirty, and a waste of bubble solution.
Another bubble generating assembly is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,890 (DeMars). DeMars uses a battery-operated machine to control a wiper bar to apply bubble solution onto a bubble ring. Although such a design avoids some of the spillage problems described above, the construction of the bubble generating assembly in DeMars is quite complex, which increases the overall cost of the bubble generating assembly. More importantly, the complex construction has many different moving and interengaging parts that increase the likelihood of defects. Sadly, any defect with any part could mean that the entire assembly is not operational. In addition, DeMars uses a single motor which powers two operations: (1) to pump the bubble solution to the wiper bar, and (2) to cause the fan to blow air at the bubble ring. Depending on the size and quality of the motor, the single motor may not be able to simultaneously perform both tasks effectively, which may negatively affect the quality of the bubbles produced by the bubble generating assembly.
Thus, there remains a need to provide apparatus and methods for delivering bubble solution to a dish or other similar dipping container while avoiding the problems described above.